Definition of "coast-guard" [coast-guard]

• A guard stationed on the coast; specifically, in Great Britain, a body of men originally designed only to prevent smuggling as agents of the customs, and hence called the preventive service, but now employed as a general police force for the coast, under the charge of the Admiralty. (noun)

The Century Dictionary (Public Domain)

• "Even though diplomatic tensions between the two countries escalated after last month's collision of a Chinese trawler with Japanese coast-guard vessels, corporate ties linking China and Japan have never been stronger."
• "A Chinese fisherman allegedly murdered a South Korean coast-guard officer last month after the officer attempted to stop the man from fishing in South Korean waters."
• "Two coast-guard ships are trying to contain the oil spread, the statement said."